Kyrie Irving placed his arm around the shoulders of Jason Kidd in the waning seconds of Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets and they smiled once the final buzzer sounded, which secured the latest win for the fifth-year Mavericks coach.
It was a full-circle moment because Kidd returned to the scene of his first coaching stop, Barclays Center, on the brink of becoming the fourth Mavericks coach to reach 200 victories.
Sitting at just 199 wins, Kidd led the Mavericks to a 121-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday to join Rick Carlisle, Don Nelson and Dick Motta as the only coaches in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
Kidd conducted his postgame news conference with the game ball sitting on the table to commemorate his latest achievement.
Mavericks
“It was nice,” Kidd said. “Cooper [Flagg] presented the ball. As I said to them, ‘The players get the win. The coaches get the losses.’ To get 200 wins, I’ll have them all sign the ball. This is all about the players. As coaches, I’m along for the ride. I’m here to help and help them achieve their goals.“
Overall, Kidd has 383 career coaching wins and needs 17 to reach 400. He would become the 57th coach in NBA history to accomplish the feat.
The victory marked the second consecutive improvement in the win column for the Mavericks following a season-long 10-game losing streak and a profound one considering the team arrived at their hotel in New York City just 4 hours and 35 minutes before tip-off.
The winter storm that blasted the Northeast over the weekend led to several travel delays for the Mavericks, who were in Indianapolis, and Nets, who spent two days in Atlanta before both teams flew to New York on their chartered planes on Tuesday. The skies may have been friendly to both NBA teams, but the same can’t be said for this reporter, who was unable to cover the game in person.
Still, the Mavericks didn’t show any signs of jet lag, apparent by their season-high 76 points in the first half. Six players scored in double figures for the winning team, led by Marvin Bagley’s 22 points and five rebounds off the bench. Naji Marshall also rose to the occasion with 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Brandon Williams produced his first double-double as a Maverick with 19 points and 10 assists.
Tuesday marked the first time in franchise history that Dallas has played an Eastern Conference opponent three times in the regular season, which occurred because of scheduling quirks from the NBA Cup. The Mavericks have won five straight games against the Nets and swept the season series, 3-0.
Kidd’s overall record against his former team has improved to 20-3, a dominant showing against the franchise he once was a member of, as a player and coach. The No. 5 jersey hangs in the rafters of Barclays Center to honor Kidd’s dynamic 6.5 seasons with the New Jersey Nets.
After his 19 seasons as a player, Kidd immediately joined the coaching ranks and was hired as coach of the Nets for one season during the 2013-14 campaign. As a rookie head coach, he earned two Eastern Conference Coach of the Month awards and led the Nets to a 44-38 record and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs.
Kidd’s brief time as coach of the Nets came to an end when he was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks in a unique coaching trade. It was there where he first coached Khris Middleton, who is now one of the newest Mavericks.
Coming off his best game since being traded, Khris Middleton looked to have a duplicate performance from Sunday’s 25-point performance in a win over Indiana. However, he suffered a right shoulder stinger in the second quarter and did not return. PJ Washington also suffered what appeared to be a left ankle sprain in the final minute of the game and limped straight to the locker room.
The Mavericks are already without Flagg, who missed his fourth straight game Tuesday with a left midfoot sprain. Now, it’s unclear if they will be without two more rotation players depending on the severity of Middleton and Washington’s respective injuries.
It wouldn’t be this year’s Mavericks if it wasn’t another clutch game — within five points in the final five minutes. Tuesday marked Dallas’ 37th clutch game of the season, which is the most in the NBA. They are 15-22 in those scenarios, which is about 39%, but a notable feat considering they only have 20 wins.
The Mavericks will have a chance to improve upon their winning ways on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings.
On Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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